Linking graphical elements of data visualizations

ABSTRACT

Systems and methods in accordance with various embodiments of the present invention provide for representing data values of a dataset as a plurality of graphical elements in a data visualization. A data table of the dataset may be linked with web-accessible information using a first content identifier. The first content identifier includes a first substring. The data visualization for the dataset is generated based on a first configuration. A selection of a graphical element of the plurality of graphical elements in the data visualization is received through a first user interface. The first substring is substituted with an identifier of the selected graphical element, generating a second content identifier. The requested web-accessible information based on the second content identifier is rendered.

CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application also is related to the following U.S. PatentApplications, each of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference:

U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______, filed ______, entitled“AUTOMATED TREEMAP GENERATION,” [ATTY DOCKET 021756-032600US];

U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______, filed ______, entitled“IMPROVEMENTS TO DATA VISUALIZATION TECHNIQUES,” [ATTY DOCKET021756-032700US];

U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______, filed ______, entitled“AGGREGATE LAYOUT FOR DATA VISUALIZATION TECHNIQUES,” [ATTY DOCKET021756-039300US];

U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______, filed ______, entitled“FILTERING FOR DATA VISUALIZATION TECHNIQUES,” [ATTY DOCKET021756-039400US]; and

U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/745,280, filed May 7, 2007, entitled“RENDERING DATA VISUALIZATION WITH MINIMAL ROUND-OFF ERROR,” [ATTYDOCKET 021756-032800US].

COPYRIGHT NOTICE

A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains materialthat is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has noobjection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent documentor the patent disclosure as it appears in the Patent and TrademarkOffice patent file or records, but otherwise reserves all copyrightrights whatsoever.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates generally to the visual display of data and, moreparticularly, to linking graphical elements of data visualizations.

2. Description of the Related Art

In an increasingly competitive world, enterprises are constantly in needof business intelligence that empowers the decision makers in theorganization to act on the information, and thus impart extracompetitive edge to the organization's products and services. Businessessucceed or fail based on their ability to accurately quantify how manyleads become orders, identify their most profitable customers, forecastmanufacturing capabilities, manage reliable supply chains, and createsales projections, for example.

However, obtaining information on which decision makers can act presentsseveral practical challenges. One such challenge is the massive amountof data available to the enterprise in today's Information Age.Conversion of data to information which can be readily understood is asignificant obstacle. Additionally, enterprises today have data spreadover multiple data sources ranging from legacy systems to relationaldatabases and text files. Even if these problems are surmounted,publishing information in a secure and reliable manner remains anotherconcern for enterprises.

Reporting systems with data visualization functionalities can provideusers with the capability to convert diverse data into information thatcan be easily visualized and deciphered to exploit the information andlearn more about the business. Visualization components can emphasizehigh-level patterns and trends in large and complex datasets. One way ofpresenting vast amounts of data as comprehendible information is byrepresenting the data in a treemap format. A treemap is a visualrepresentation of a dataset, which is typically hierarchical in nature.

A treemap generally includes a collection of two-dimensional cells ofrectangular shape, each of which represents one or more data entries ofthe dataset. The cells of a treemap have characteristics, such as area,color, and texture, that represent the data. The cell characteristicsmay also be known as graphical attributes. If the dataset is in the formof a table in a database, the rows of the table may be represented bytreemap cells and the columns of the table may represent various datadimensions. A data dimension is a set of related data values such as thevalues in a column of a database table or correlated fields in an XMLfile that are marked with a common tag. The data dimensions may bemapped to different cell characteristics of the treemap visualization.Thus, a viewer of the treemap can gain insight into data by examining agrouping of cells and cell characteristics.

One barrier to the wide use of data visualizations is the limitation inavailable features which make the visualized information more meaningfulto users. For example, current treemap solutions do not provide for waysto vary an aggregation function used for generating the datavisualization. End users may have certain expectations about how theareas of the lowest-level groups are calculated and these expectationsmay have an affect on the utility of the treemap. For example, when thedata values mapped to the innermost rectangles are average data values,such as average page load time, end users may expect the relative areasof the lowest-level groups to also be averages. Current versions oftreemap components do not address this issue, but instead have a fixedmethod for determining the areas of the lowest-level groups, which aretypically implicit in the graph's definition and construction. Typicalmethods include the fixed methods of either summation (setting therelative areas of the groups to the summation of the values within eachgroup) and count (setting the relative areas of the groups to the totalnumber of values within each group). It would be useful to vary theaggregate function that is used to represent groups at differenthierarchical levels of a hierarchical data visualization.

Another barrier to the use of data visualizations is that typicalsolutions provide default visible depth levels which cannot be modifiedby users. In order to change the currently viewed hierarchy level, othervisualization techniques provide a drilling option, which shows a lowerdepth level for a selected cell. A sliding window which indicates thenumber of depth levels that are currently visible may be shown whendrilling down. However, the only depth levels that are shown are thosethat are in the current representation. Thus, users can easily get lostbecause there is no indication of an overview of how the current viewcorresponds to the entire hierarchical data set.

Moreover, visualization techniques tend to emphasize a small number ofprimary or first-order effects, making it difficult to appreciatesecondary or second-order effects. For example, a plot of a data setwith values that are distributed non-uniformly will invariably emphasizethe most unusual data values, the outliers. Almost any plot of the dataset {1,2,3,4,5,1000000} will reveal that one value is unusual, but itmay make it difficult to appreciate the linear relationship of thesimilar values. Filters are used to isolate certain ranges of the datavalues to be displayed in the data visualization. Generally, prior artmethods filter based on user-selected ranges. However, a user is unableto easily effectuate filtering using these ranges when the user hasquickly isolated the cells on the treemap which illustrate the firstorder effects. Moreover, filtering based on ranges may have the addeddisadvantage of simultaneously hiding multiple data values at differentdepth levels, causing dramatic changes to the appearance of the datavisualization. In addition, it may be difficult to model the data valuesthat contribute to the first order effect with a filter that is set upin advance.

Further, solutions are incapable of linking selected portions of thegraphical visualization to related information without seriousdrawbacks. Current data visualization techniques include actions thatdrill-in to expose details of a selected cell. These drill-in techniqueshave the disadvantage that they must be pre-programmed into thecomponent's code. Moreover, the drill-in action is typically limited toactions that can only be accomplished by the component itself.Essentially, the drill-in function is narrowed to initiating actionswhich have been explicitly anticipated by the authors of thevisualization component.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In accordance with an embodiment of the invention, systems and methodsfor linking graphical elements of data visualizations is provided. Datavalues of a dataset may be represented as a plurality of graphicalelements in a data visualization. In one embodiment, a data table of thedataset is linked with web-accessible information using a first contentidentifier, where the first content identifier includes a firstsubstring. Moreover, the data visualization is generated for the datasetbased on a first configuration. A selection of a graphical element ofthe plurality of graphical elements in the data visualization isreceived through a first user interface. The first substring issubstituted with an identifier of the selected graphical element,generating a second content identifier. The requested web-accessibleinformation is rendered based on the second content identifier.

A further understanding of the nature and the advantages of theinventions disclosed herein may be realized by reference of theremaining portions of the specification and the attached drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention may best be understood by reference to the followingdescription taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings inwhich:

FIG. 1 is an exemplary process flow diagram which illustrates one methodof improving data visualization techniques.

FIG. 2 is an exemplary process flow diagram which illustrates one methodof improving data visualization techniques by performing an aggregatelayout.

FIG. 3 shows a screenshot of an exemplary data table fragment.

FIG. 4 shows an exemplary hierarchy table.

FIG. 5 shows a screenshot of an exemplary treemap component and userinterface.

FIG. 6 shows a screenshot of an exemplary treemap component using meanaggregation.

FIG. 7 shows a screenshot of an exemplary treemap component using medianaggregation.

FIG. 8 shows a screenshot of an exemplary treemap component using countaggregation.

FIG. 9 shows a screenshot of an exemplary treemap component using maxaggregation.

FIG. 10A is an exemplary process flow diagram which illustrates onemethod of improving data visualization techniques by enabling a user tospecify currently visible depth levels to display.

FIGS. 10B-D are diagrams which illustrate one method of improving datavisualization techniques by enabling a user to specify currently visibledepth levels to display.

FIG. 11 is an exemplary process flow diagram which illustrates onemethod of improving data visualization techniques by filtering based onuser selection of individual cells.

FIG. 12 shows an exemplary data table.

FIG. 13 is a screen shot of an exemplary treemap component and userinterface.

FIG. 14 is a screen shot of an exemplary treemap component and userinterface for filtering cells.

FIG. 15 is a screen shot of an exemplary treemap component and userinterface after performing filtering.

FIG. 16 is an exemplary process flow diagram which illustrates onemethod of improving data visualization techniques by linking graphicalelements of the visualization.

FIG. 17 shows an exemplary table.

FIG. 18 is a screen shot of an exemplary treemap component and userinterface for selecting a drilling option.

FIG. 19 is a screen shot of an exemplary treemap component and userinterface for providing a pre-report for a selected cell.

FIG. 20 is a block diagram illustrating components of an exemplaryoperating environment in which various embodiments of the presentinvention may be implemented.

FIG. 21 illustrates an exemplary computer system in which variousembodiments of the present invention may be implemented.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Systems and methods described herein provide for improvements to datavisualization techniques. The present invention includes systems andmethods for improving the usefulness and usability of visualizationtechniques. Implemented as an application programming interface (API),an automated or semi-automated process, and/or an interactive menu, forexample, users may vary the aggregation function used for determiningaggregate values of various graphical attributes, such as area or colorcell characteristics in a treemap configuration. Moreover, it may beuseful to automate or partially automate the selection of an appropriateaggregation function. The aforementioned aggregation solutions could beimplemented for other hierarchical visualization techniques.

Current treemap solutions are able to show only a limited number ofhierarchical levels at a time. When viewing an inner depth level duringa drill-down action, outer depth levels are cut-off from view. Likewise,when panning out to view an outer depth level, inner depth levels andleaf nodes may be removed from view in the treemap component. Onesolution is to provide a tool to enable the user to dictate the numberof depth levels to view, which may be subject to various constraints.Moreover, such a tool may also enable a user to select which of aplurality of depth levels to view in the data visualization. Theaforementioned solutions could be implemented for various hierarchicalvisualization techniques.

Additionally, improved methods for filtering are provided which enablethe user to filter elements of the data visualization more intuitively.The user can select particular graphical elements within the treemapcomponent, rather than using ranges of values to filter cells. Theaforementioned filtering solutions could be implemented for otherhierarchical or non-hierarchical visualization techniques.

Improved methods for linking graphical elements in the datavisualization with related information are provided. Web-accessibleinformation may be linked easily to cells of the data visualizationusing string substitution. The string substitution operates to modifysubstrings within a URL which is paired to a data table of a dataset. Inone embodiment, script instructions replace the substrings with aconstant string. More than one substring may need to be modified. Thus,web-accessible processes, programs, and/or services may be linked to aselected cell as related web-accessible information.

In the description that follows, the present invention will be describedin reference to embodiments of subsystems on a platform for a softwareapplication, such as a database application. However, embodiments arenot limited to any particular architecture, environment, application, orimplementation. For example, although embodiments will be described inreference to database applications, the invention may be advantageouslyapplied to any software application. Therefore, the description of theembodiments that follows is for purposes of illustration and notlimitation.

FIG. 1 is an exemplary process flow diagram which illustrates one methodof improving data visualization techniques. At step 110, aggregatevalues are determined for the data visualization. Typically, only asingle aggregate function is used to represent an aggregation of datavalues and the function is selected based on the type of datavisualization. For example, a stacked bar graph typically uses a“summation” aggregate function. The lengths of bar segments representthe magnitude of individual data values, where larger data valuescorrespond to longer lengths of bar segments. When these individual barsegments are stacked together, the total length of the stack of barsegments represents an aggregate value for a group of data values.Essentially, the bar lengths are added together to determine theaggregate value.

In another example, a pie graph typically uses a “percentage” aggregatefunction where the area of each pie slice corresponds to a ratio ofpercentages of data values. In yet another example, treemaps may use a“summation” aggregate function to display hierarchical data sets.

Vendors of visualization software tools employ the use of a singleaggregation function per type of data visualization and do not permitthe user selection of aggregate functions. The ability to select anaggregation function for layout of data visualizations makes the datavisualization more informational, customizable, configurable, andextensible. Furthermore, the ability to select and modify an aggregatefunction allows the end user or designer to make the informationconveyed by the data visualization to be more meaningful based on theend user's perceptions and expectations. Further details for determiningaggregate values will be discussed below with regard to FIG. 2.

At step 120, depth levels to display are determined. In one embodiment,the depth levels to display are determined by a default configuration.In another embodiment, a user selects the depth levels to display. Auser interface, such as a menu, may be provided to enable a user totoggle between the number of depth levels that are shown in the datavisualization. Moreover, the particular depth levels to view may beselected. In one embodiment, the depth-level menu is in the form of aslider bar. Other user-selectable menus may also be implemented. Furtherdetails will be discussed below with regard to FIG. 10A.

At step 130, cells may be filtered out of a data visualization based onuser selection. In one embodiment, a user interface, such as a graphicsegment filter menu, may be provided to enable a user to hide a selectedgraphic cell of a treemap component. A graphic cell may represent one ormore data entries of the dataset. The ability to filter certain cellsallows the treemap component to convey more meaningful information. Forexample, outliers may be filtered such that the treemap component mayvisibly provide more information about the remaining data. Furtherdetails about filtering cells will be discussed below with regard toFIG. 11.

At step 140, linking-to-related content may be generated based on userselection of a graphical element in the data visualization. A userinterface, such as a menu, may be provided to enable a user to select alink or drill action for the selected graphical element, such as a cell.Content related to the cell is provided to the user. Further detailsabout the linking-to-related content feature will be discussed belowwith regard to FIG. 16.

FIG. 2 is an exemplary process flow diagram which illustrates one methodof improving data visualization techniques by performing an aggregatelayout. As previously discussed, it is useful to enable a user ordesigner of a data visualization to select and modify an aggregatefunction used on a hierarchical visualization.

At step 210, a dataset to be visualized is selected and/or received. Inone embodiment, the dataset is received from a data storage system, suchas a database. The data received is a range of values that will berepresented using graphical elements, such as rectangles, within agraphical layout area. FIG. 3 shows a screenshot of an exemplary datatable fragment. The data table fragment 300 may relate to retailmerchandising. Each row of table 300 stores information related to apurchase order. The rows of table 300 may have data dimensions thatinclude Order_Number, Item, Organization, Customer, Due_Date,Dollar_Value, Avg_Days_Late, Quantity, Item_Category, Days_Late, andPlanner. The system may determine the data dimensions which are possiblecandidates for mapping to area in the data visualization. Each row isinterpreted as a data entry which may be displayed as a leaf node in thetreemap hierarchy. In most cases, the dataset does not include anaggregate value for a hierarchical group. As such, the aggregate valuesmay be determined as described below.

At step 220, hierarchy depth levels are determined from one or morepossible hierarchies. More specifically, a particular hierarchy isdetermined which specifies one data dimension per level of hierarchy(i.e., one data dimension per group). The hierarchy governs how the dataentries in the represented dataset are grouped in the treemap. Datadimensions of a dataset, such as data table attributes, may becorrelated to depth levels. Multiple levels of hierarchy may bedisplayed simultaneously by using nesting rectangles, where depth levelsmay be nested within each other. The hierarchy depth levels may bedetermined by selecting a data dimension, for example a data tablecolumn of data table fragment 300, to be associated with each depthlevel. The hierarchy depth level may be automatically selected for adefault configuration. In another embodiment, the hierarchy depth levelis selected by a user.

The selected hierarchy depth levels may be based on one or more possiblehierarchies available for the dataset as depicted in a hierarchy table.FIG. 4 shows an exemplary hierarchy table. In one embodiment, thehierarchy table 400 has two columns: Group_Name and Depth_Level. In thisexample, the group name column is a string data type and the depth levelcolumn is an integer data type. Each row in the hierarchy tableassociates a column from the dataset 300 with a level of hierarchy. Thefirst level of hierarchy includes the column names Organization,Customer, Planner, Item_Category, and Days_Late. The second level ofhierarchy includes the column names Customer, Days_Late, Item_Category,and Organization. The third level of hierarchy includes the column nameItem. During initialization, the hierarchy table 400 is read by thesystem and a valid initial hierarchy is selected by the system. Thesystem may also produce various menus in order to enable the user tochange the initial hierarchy depicted in the visualization. Othermethods of selecting hierarchy depth levels may be used.

A selected hierarchy depth level may be indicated on a treemap displaypage. FIG. 5 shows a screenshot of an exemplary treemap component anduser interface. In one embodiment, the treemap display page 500 is apublished output of the an entire sourced data table, wherein thefragment of the entire sourced data table is represented by FIG. 3. Auser interface 505 includes a hierarchy tab 520, an area tab 530, and acolor tab 540. In this example, the hierarchy tab 520 indicates thedepth levels to include the following data dimensions in decreasingorder of hierarchy: Organization, Customer, and Item.

Referring back to FIG. 2, at step 230, an aggregate function isdetermined. In one embodiment, an aggregate function is determined froma plurality of aggregate functions. The plurality of aggregate functionsmay include, for example, average (such as mean or median), count,maximum, minimum, and summation. In one embodiment, the aggregatefunctions are determined for the depth levels. Moreover, aggregatefunctions may be determined for the distinct graphical attributes of thedata visualization. In one embodiment, aggregate functions may beselected for any combination of depth level and/or graphical attribute.

In one embodiment, a user or designer may have an option to select anaggregate function to be applied to one or more depth levels and/or oneor more graphical attributes, such as in the form of an interactive menuof a user interface. The user interface is generated to enable a user ordesigner of the data visualization to initialize before generation ofthe data visualization or to modify an aggregate function used on thehierarchical visualization. The selection made by the user or designeris then received from the user interface.

In another embodiment, the aggregation function is automaticallyselected, such as for a default configuration and may be based onselection intelligence. In one embodiment, the selection intelligence isbased on the inherent properties of the data visualization. Thesummation function is appropriate for a 2-dimensional space filling datavisualization technique. For example, a treemap data visualization mapsa data dimension to cell area. The default configuration may select thesummation aggregation function. As previously described, the values forgroups are determined by adding the values of the children nodes. For2-D space filling visualizations, the summation function allows the enduser to make more accurate comparisons of cells across variousgroupings.

In another embodiment, the selection intelligence is based on the metricused to measure the values of the nodes (i.e., the type of data) andselecting the aggregate function which is the same as the metric used tomeasure the values of the nodes. For example, if the data dimension thatis mapped to a graphical attribute, such as area, is an average value,the end user expects the aggregate group representation to be an averageas well. Thus, when data that is mapped to graphical attributes is anaverage, the default configuration selects an “average” aggregatefunction. An “average” aggregation function may include mean, median,and other known average functions. In another embodiment, if the datadimension is a total or aggregate value (i.e., summation of othervalues), the summation function is selected as the default.

In another embodiment, the selection intelligence is dependent upon thetype of graphical attribute. For the color graphical attribute, thedefault configuration selects an “average” aggregation function. A datavalue may be associated with the color graphical attribute. In largegroupings, the aggregation of these data values using the summationfunction for the color graphical attribute become similar shades of asingle color. The relevant information for the end user becomesobscured. Using a mean or median aggregation function enables the enduser to garner meaningful information from the visualization.

The aforementioned intelligence models the central tendencies and/orexpectations of end users. Other selection intelligence may be usedbased on the task to be performed by the user. For example, if theuser's task is to find the groups with the largest average value, theAverage aggregation function might be used. In another embodiment, ifthe user's task is to find the groups with the largest total value, theSummation aggregation function might be used. Additional selectionintelligence may be used based on the metric of the data dimension, typeof graphical attribute, and the inherent properties of the datavisualization itself. In one embodiment, the selection intelligence maybe ranked such that one selection of an aggregate function takespriority over another. In another embodiment, aggregate functions may beselected by a combination of receiving the selection from the userinterface and selection intelligence.

Another example of intelligence may be based on user role. For noviceusers, the Summation aggregation function may be used to allow accuratecomparisons of areas across groups, while other aggregation functionsmay be reserved for more experienced users. Combinations of differenttypes of intelligence may be implemented. For example, user role andmetric of data dimension can be combined such that for novice users theSummation aggregation function is used unless the data dimension mappedto cell area is an average value, in which case, the Average aggregationfunction is used.

At step 240, the aggregate values for each group are determined. Theselected aggregate function is used to determine the aggregate valuesfor each of the hierarchical groupings. In one embodiment, the aggregatevalues are determined recursively from the leaf nodes to the highestlevel of hierarchy. The aggregate values for subsequent levels ofhierarchy are determined in successive increasing order. In oneembodiment, a data table for each hierarchical depth level is generated,where each data table includes the aggregate values for a hierarchicaldepth level.

For purposes of this example, the hierarchy depth levels have beendetermined to include the following data dimensions in decreasing orderof hierarchy: Organization, Customer, and Item, as indicated byhierarchy tab 520 of FIG. 5. Hierarchy groups the data entries of datatable 300 based on the values of the data entries in the organizationcolumn, for a top-level hierarchy, in the customer column, for asecond-level hierarchy, and in the item column, for a third-levelhierarchy. More specifically, the values in each of hierarchical columns(e.g. organization, customer, and item) in the data table 300 areexamined. Rows with identical values of organization, customer, and itemare considered to belong to a same category or group. The category maytake a name that is equal to the value. Other grouping methods may alsobe implemented, for example, grouping methods which match as determinedby an application-specific matching function. For example a functionthat considers two values to match if their prefixes of a certain lengthmatch, if they are dates occurring in the same year and month, or ifthey are numerical values with differences that lie within a specifiedrange.

Starting at the leaf nodes of the hierarchy Organization>Customer>Item,the data values in data table fragment 300 are grouped by the lowestlevel of hierarchy, in this case, by Item. The value of each data entryassociated with the data dimension mapped to a graphical attributewithin the group are aggregated using the selected aggregate function.For example, the data dimension that is mapped to the area graphicalattribute is Dollar Value. The values of each data entry under theDollar Value column within each of the Item groups are aggregated. Inanother embodiment, the AvgDaysLate column is mapped to the colorgraphical attribute. Accordingly, the values of each data entryassociated with the AvgDaysLate column within each of the Item groupsare aggregated. For example, the values of 21 and 3 for the group SanAntonio>Sports Authority>Item=MRX013 are aggregated. The item MRX013 maybe a soccer ball, for example. The value of 47 comprises the group ofBudapest>Sports Authority>Item=MRX013. The value of 8 comprises thegroup of Fort Worth>Sports Authority>Item=MRX013. The value of 48comprises the group of San Antonio>Target>Item=MRX013. The values of 26,and 13 are aggregated for the group of Budapest>Target>Item=MRX013.Using summation, for example, the value for this group is 39. The valuesof 35, and 37 are aggregated for the group of FortWorth>Target>Item=MRX013. Using summation, the value for this group is72.

For the TRBZ007 Item groupings, the item TRBZ007 may be soccer cleats,for example. The values of 34 and 22 comprise the group of FortWorth>Sports Authority>Item=TRBZ007. Using summation, for example, thevalue for this group is 56. The value of 9 comprises theBudapest>Target>Item=TRBZ007 group. The values of 3 and 21 areaggregated for the Fort Worth>Target>Item=TRBZ007 group. Usingsummation, the value for this group is 24. Thus, the aggregate valuesfor each group for the Organization>Customer>Item hierarchy level havebeen determined.

Referring back to FIG. 2, processing continues to step 250 where it isdetermined if the aggregate values for the highest level of hierarchyhave been determined. The determination is made by comparing the currentlevel of hierarchy to the hierarchy depth levels determined in step 220.If the values for the highest level of hierarchy have been determined,then processing continues to step 260. Otherwise, the current hierarchyis incremented to the next higher level of hierarchy, and processingloops back to step 240. In one embodiment, if the graphical attributefor which aggregate values have been determined is the color cellcharacteristic, processing ends after step 250 because color values arenot required when performing layout in step 260.

For example, the current hierarchy is incremented to theOrganization>Customer hierarchy level. The aggregate values for the areaand/or color data dimensions are determined for each group within theOrganization>Customer depth level using the values computed within theprevious iteration of the recursive loop. For the color data dimension,the previously computed values of 8 (Item=MRX013) and 56 (Item=TRBZ007)are aggregated for the Fort Worth>Sports Authority group. The value forthis group using summation is 64. The values of 72 (Item=MRX013) and24(Item=TRBZ007) are aggregated for the Fort Worth>Target group. Thevalue for this group using summation is 96. The value of 47(Item=MRX013)comprises the Budapest>Sports Authority group. The values of 39(Item=MRX013) and 9(Item=TRBZ007) are aggregated for the Budapest>Targetgroup. The value for this group using summation is 48. Likewise, theaggregate values for all groups within the level of hierarchy aredetermined.

Since the Organization>Customer depth level is not the highest level ofhierarchy, processing once again loops back to step 250. At theOrganization depth level, the aggregate values for the area and/or colordata dimensions are determined for each group. The groups include SanAntonio, Budapest, and Fort Worth. The values of 96 (Target) and64(Sports Authority) are aggregated for the Fort Worth group. Usingsummation, the value for the Fort Worth group is 160. The values of47(Sports Authority) and 48 (Target) are aggregated for the Budapestgroup. Using summation, the value of the Budapest group is 95. Thevalues of 24 (Sports Authority) and 48 (Target) are aggregated for theSan Antonio group. Using summation, the value of the San Antonio groupis 72.

A same or different aggregate function may also be applied fordetermining aggregate values of various graphical attributes. Theaggregation is performed in a similar manner as described above. Also, asame or different aggregate function may be applied for determiningaggregate values for each depth level. Thus, for a current level ofhierarchy and for each group within the current level of hierarchy, thedata values within the data dimension being mapped to the colorgraphical attribute is aggregated.

Referring back to FIG. 2, once it is determined that the aggregatevalues for the highest level of hierarchy have been determined,processing continues to step 260 where layout is performed in agraphical layout area. In the context of treemap data visualizations,areas for layout are determined from the top level of hierarchy to thelowest level of hierarchy. During layout of the data visualization, themagnitude of the value of the graphical attribute of each group may beproportional to the magnitude of the result of each group's aggregationfunction. For example, the treemap component 510 of FIG. 5 shows thearea occupied by the groups within each level of hierarchy isproportional to the magnitude of the group's value for area. It shouldbe noted that not all graphical attributes may be proportional to thegroup value. For example, the treemap 510 shows the Organization groups(i.e., Fort Worth, San Antonio, and Budapest) and the Customer groups(i.e., Target, Sports Authority, Costco, etc.) without the colorgraphical attribute and are all the same shade of gray.

At step 270 of FIG. 2, the data visualization is rendered onto agraphical display region. In one embodiment, the graphical displayregion is placed within a graphical display page. The graphical displaypage may include a graphical user interface (GUI), such as a menu, toenable a user to select or change the aggregate functions used per depthlevel and/or per graphical attribute. When it is detected that a userhas selected or changed the aggregate functions to be used, processingmay loop back to step 230, and the new aggregate values are determined.Further, when it is detected that the data dimensions mapped tohierarchy depth levels have changed, such as if a user changed thehierarchy from Organization>Customer>Item to Customer>Organization>Item,processing may loop back to step 220.

In another embodiment, the data visualization technique may be used in amore flexible manner that enables users to choose a graph family, ratherthan a specific graph type. For example, a user could specify a graphfamily, such as bar graph, and switch between various aggregationfunctions. Choosing “summation” would show the data as a stacked bargraph, while choosing “percentage” would show the data as a percentstacked bar graph. The advantage of such a system is that users canfocus on extracting information from their data without first having tounderstand the properties of different graph types and matching thegraph type to fit the data.

FIGS. 5-9 will now be discussed to illustrate the features of variousaggregate functions. As previously discussed, the summation function mayallow the end user to make more accurate comparisons of cells acrossvarious groups for 2-D space filling visualizations. The area occupiedby the cells is proportional to the magnitude of the value that thecells represent in comparison to the other cells in the group. Moreover,the cells retain proportionality across cells in other groups usingsummation. For example, referring back to FIG. 5, the aggregate functionused for area is summation. Cell 550 represents the dollar values of thesoccer ball item for the Fort Worth>Target>Item=MRX013 group. Cell 560represents the dollar value of a soccer cleats item for theBudapest>Target>Item=TRBZ007 group. Cell 560 appears smaller than cell550. The difference in size may represent the proportional difference invalues between these two cells.

The data values corresponding to these cells reveal that the apparentdifference in size is an accurate depiction of the difference in themagnitude of the cell values. Table fragment 300 shows that the dollarvalue of cell 550 is 146,293, which is the summation of the dollarvalues of 68150 and 78143. The dollar value of cell 560 is 24142. Thearea occupied by cell 550 may appear to be proportionally larger thanthe area occupied by cell 560. In this example, cell 550 appears to beabout six times larger than cell 560. Thus, even though the areas forcells 550 and 560 are in separate groups and separate parts of thetreemap configuration 510, the comparison between the cells can be madeaccurately.

FIG. 6 shows a screenshot of an exemplary treemap component using meanaggregation. In one embodiment, the treemap display page 600 is apublished output of the an entire sourced data table, wherein thefragment of the entire sourced data table is represented by FIG. 3. Thehierarchy depth level is determined. In this example, the Organizationdata dimension is the highest level of hierarchy, followed by theCustomer data dimension for the lower hierarchy level, and the Item datadimension for the lowest hierarchy level. After an aggregate function isselected for the area graphical attribute, the aggregate values for eachgroup are determined. In this example, a mean aggregate function isselected for area across all levels of hierarchy. In one embodiment, themean aggregate value for cell 610 in the Fort Worth>Target>Item=MRX013group is determined by taking the mean of all the data values within thegroup. Using the data values from table fragment 300, the mean is73,146.5, which is determined from the values 68,150 and 78,143. Thearea occupied by cell 610 is proportional to the value it represents incomparison to the other cells in the group.

FIG. 7 shows a screenshot of an exemplary treemap component using medianaggregation. In one embodiment, the treemap display page 700 is apublished output of the an entire sourced data table, wherein thefragment of the entire sourced data table is represented by FIG. 3. Thehierarchy depth level is determined. In this example, the Organizationdata dimension is the highest level of hierarchy, followed by theCustomer data dimension for the lower hierarchy level, and the Item datadimension for the lowest hierarchy level. After an aggregate function isselected for the area graphical attribute, the aggregate values for eachgroup are determined. In this example, a median aggregate function isselected for area across all levels of hierarchy. The aggregate valuefor cell 710 in the Fort Worth>Target>Item=MRX013 group is determined bytaking the median of all the data values within the group.

FIG. 8 shows a screenshot of an exemplary treemap component using countaggregation. In one embodiment, the treemap display page 800 is apublished output of the an entire sourced data table, wherein thefragment of the entire sourced data table is represented by FIG. 3. Thehierarchy depth level is determined. In this example, the Organizationdata dimension is the highest level of hierarchy, followed by theCustomer data dimension for the lower hierarchy level, and the Item datadimension for the lowest hierarchy level. After an aggregate function isselected for the area graphical attribute, the aggregate values for eachgroup are determined. In this example, a count aggregate function isselected for area across all levels of hierarchy. For a “count”aggregation function, an aggregate value for a cell representing a groupis the number of children nodes within the group. The “count”aggregation function does not take into account the magnitude of thedata values of the children nodes. In this example, the aggregate valuefor the parent cell 810 in the Fort Worth>Target>Item=MRX013 group isdetermined by counting the number of data values within the group. Inother words, the aggregate value is determined by the number of childrennodes in the group, not by the values of the children nodes. Using thedata values from table fragment 300, the count is 2. The area occupiedby cell 810 is proportional to the value it represents in comparison tothe other cells in the group. Accordingly, the area occupied by cell 810is equal to the area occupied by cell 820, which represents the FortWorth>Target>Item=TRBZ007 group. The value of 820 is also two.

FIG. 9 shows a screenshot of an exemplary treemap component using maxaggregation. In one embodiment, the treemap display page 900 is apublished output of the an entire sourced data table, wherein thefragment of the entire sourced data table is represented by FIG. 3. Thehierarchy depth level is determined. In this example, the Organizationdata dimension is the highest level of hierarchy, followed by theCustomer data dimension for the lower hierarchy level, and the Item datadimension for the lowest hierarchy level. After an aggregate function isselected for the area graphical attribute, the aggregate values for eachgroup are determined. In this example, a maximum value aggregatefunction is selected for area across all levels of hierarchy. Theaggregate value for parent cell 910 in the Fort Worth>Target>Item=MRX013group is determined by the maximum value of the children nodes withinthe group. Using the data values from table fragment 300, the maxaggregate value is 78143. The area occupied by cell 910 is proportionalto the value it represents in comparison to the other cells in thegroup.

The determination of aggregate values and layout of those aggregatevalues may be implemented for various types of hierarchical datavisualizations. For example, a cluster bar graph could be extended toreplace one or more cluster of bars with a single aggregate bar. Thelength of the aggregate bar is determined by any one of a number ofselectable aggregation functions. The user or designer may select theaggregate function using, for example, a GUI, API, etc. In anotherembodiment, instead of aggregating clusters, each series ofdifferently-colored bars could be aggregated to form a single clusterusing any one of a number of aggregation functions selectable by theuser. Another example may include a hierarchical pie chart where a usermay drill-in and view an aggregation of the children nodes of a selectedslice. Similar aggregation methods can be applied to various graphicalattributes, such as area and color, for the selected slice of the piechart.

FIG. 10A is an exemplary process flow diagram which illustrates onemethod of improving data visualization techniques by enabling a user tospecify currently visible depth levels to display. At step 1010, anumber of depth levels to display is determined. In one embodiment, anumber of depth levels to display is selectable by a user or designerwhere multiple depth levels are possible. For example, hierarchy table400 indicates that three depth levels are possible for the givendataset. Other methods of determining the total number of possible depthlevels may be used. A user or designer may choose to display one, two,or three depth levels. In one embodiment, an interactive control ispresented to a user, for example in a user interface region 505 of atreemap display page 500. In one embodiment, the interactive controltakes the form of a slider bar 570 to indicate the number of currentlyvisible depth levels. The slider bar may indicate the visible depthlevels starting from and including the root of the hierarchical dataset. In alternative embodiments, other depth levels may be selected asthe starting node.

The interactive control may enforce various constraints or limitations.In cases where multiple levels of hierarchy are possible, the depthlevel interactive control may limit the number of depth levels that arerendered in the treemap to a maximum threshold number. This limitationensures that the inner-most nested cells of the treemap are large enoughfor the cell area and color to be visible and distinguishable. Themaximum threshold may be determined automatically using intelligencethat associates a max threshold with each type of data visualization. Inone embodiment, treemaps are generally less useful when displaying morethan about four levels of hierarchy. Accordingly, the maximum thresholdmay be four levels of hierarchy rendered for a treemap component. Othertypes of hierarchical data visualizations may be associated with otherthresholds. In another embodiment, the maximum threshold may be selectedby a designer through an API or GUI.

At step 1020, the particular depth levels to display are identified.Where multiple depth levels are possible and a subset of the possibledepth levels are to be displayed, the particular depth levels may beidentified by a user. In one embodiment, a “rendered root” may beselected. As used herein, a “rendered root” is a hierarchical datadimension which is displayed as if it were the root of the hierarchicaldata set. In this example, the rendered root (i.e., Organization) of thetreemap component 510 is not the actual root of the hierarchicaldataset. Moreover, “rendered leaf nodes” may be selected. As usedherein, “rendered leaf nodes” are nodes which correspond to ahierarchical data dimension which is displayed as if it were the leavesof the hierarchical data set. In one embodiment, a user may specifycontiguous levels of hierarchy to be displayed in the datavisualization. Alternatively, non-contiguous depth levels may also bespecified. In one embodiment, an interactive control is presented to auser, for example in a user interface region 505 of a treemap displaypage 500, for enabling the user to select the particular depth levels.For example, if the determined number of depth levels to be displayed istwo, it is determined whether the Organization>Customer depths levelswill be displayed or the Customer>Item depth levels will be displayed.Where non-contiguous depth levels may be selected, it will also bedetermined whether Organization>Item depth levels will be displayed. Theinteractive control may be in the form of a double-ended slider,checkboxes corresponding to each possible level of hierarchy, or similaruser-selectable interfaces used to control the visible depth levels of ahierarchical dataset.

The interactive control may be subject to other constraints. Forexample, a constraint may be implemented to limit the user's selectionsuch that the innermost nested rectangles correspond to groups that areat some level above the level of the leaf nodes. In another embodiment,the root node may be removed, such that the user may not have the optionto select the root node for display.

At step 1030, a current visualization is rendered to include theselected number of visible depth levels and/or the particular depthlevels. In one embodiment, aggregate values and layout have already beencomputed and any change in the visible depth levels does not requirere-computation of the aggregate values or layout. It should be notedthat although the depth levels and hierarchical values have beendescribed in the context of hierarchy tables and aggregate values, theinterface enabling a user to specify currently visible depth levels, asdescribed herein, may be used in conjunction with other hierarchicalmethods and aggregation techniques.

The interactive control could be implemented for various hierarchicalvisualization techniques. For example, the interactive control may beimplemented on a hierarchy grid or tree table, which displays thehierarchical tree structure in a first column and data attributes insubsequent columns. In another embodiment of a tree structure, the firstcolumn includes the root node, parent nodes, and child nodes for eachrow, and the attributes associated with the nodes in a second column.The tree table may include a slider bar to control either or both of thenumber of depth levels to view and the particular depth levels to view.Once the selections have been made, the data visualization is renderedwith the updated information. The interactive control may also beimplemented on a multidimensional viewer (MDV), which is an extension toa data table with graphic bars representing textual data. Each graphicbar represents a data entry in the specified levels of hierarchy. TheMDV may also include a slider bar to control either or both of thenumber of depth levels to view and the particular depth levels to view.Once the selections have been made, the data visualization is renderedwith the updated information.

FIGS. 10B-D are diagrams which illustrate one method of improving datavisualization techniques by enabling a user to specify currently visibledepth levels to display. In another embodiment, the interactive controltakes the form of a graphical shape that is positioned on top of a treediagram. For example the graphical shape may be a rectangle that can beresized and repositioned over the image of a tree diagram. The portionof the tree that overlaps with the rectangle indicates the currentlyvisible hierarchical depth levels. The graphical shape may functionsimilarly to the slider bar. FIG. 10B shows a rectangular control 1040being positioned over the image of tree diagram 1050 and specifyingdepth levels 2 and 3. FIG. 10C shows a rectangular control 1060specifying depth levels 3 and 4. FIG. 10D 1070 shows a rectangularcontrol specifying depth levels 2-4.

FIG. 11 is an exemplary process flow diagram which illustrates onemethod of improving data visualization techniques by filtering based onuser selection of individual graphical elements. At step 1110,individual graphical elements, such as cells, to filter are determined.In one embodiment, a user may select a graphical element for filtering.The graphical element may be a group element or a leaf element. A groupelement may represent a group of data values. A leaf element, forexample a leaf node, may represent a single data value at the lowestlevel of hierarchy. Using a selection tool, such as a cursor, a user mayisolate a graphical element on the treemap configuration, such as byplacing the cursor in the graphical region of a cell or group and usingthe cursor to select the cell or group. In this example, the treemapcomponent is also a user interface. The user selection of a graphicalelement is made through the user interface or the treemap component.Other selection methods may also be implemented.

At step 1120, aggregate values for each group are determined. Where thedata set is hierarchical, aggregate values for each group arere-computed to account for the one or more filtered data values. Theselected graphical element is effectively a child node and is notconsidered when determining the updated aggregate values for the parentnode. Known methods of performing aggregation may be used.Alternatively, the aggregation method as described herein with referenceto FIG. 1 may be used. In one embodiment, the data values to be filteredare flagged. All flagged data values are excluded from the aggregatevalue. If a last child of the parent node is selected to be filtered,the parent node may be filtered as well.

At step 1130, the layout is re-determined taking the one or morefiltered data values into account. The area occupied by a parent nodemay be reduced due to the filtered data value, depending on theaggregation function. Likewise, the area occupied by other elementsand/or groups may also be affected. At step 1140, the data visualizationis rendered to reflect the filtered element.

The feature of filtering user-selected elements is further describedwith regard to FIGS. 12-15. FIG. 12 shows an exemplary data table. Inthis example, the data table 1200 represents sales orders for CyclesIncorporated (“Cycles Inc.”). The table 1200 includes ID, or index,Location, Order_Size, Order_Frequency, Root, and Severity columns.

FIG. 13 is a screen shot of an exemplary treemap component and userinterface. In this example, the treemap display page 1300 is avisualization of the Cycles Inc. data table 1200 of FIG. 12. In thisexample, the Order Size data dimension is mapped to the area graphicalattribute. The cell 1310 occupies the greatest area within the treemapcomponent and thus represents a value of 2470, which is the largestvalue of the data table 1200.

FIG. 14 is a screen shot of an exemplary treemap component and userinterface for filtering cells. In one embodiment, this feature may beparticularly helpful for users to select outliers and other first ordereffects, which can be filtered out from the data visualization. In thisexample, the cell 1310 has been selected. A user interface 1410, such asa menu, includes one or more user-selectable functions. The functionsmay include a “hide” option, which, when selected by the user, filtersout the selected cell or group from the data visualization.

FIG. 15 is a screen shot of an exemplary treemap component and userinterface after performing filtering. The selected cell 1310 is excludedfrom the layout of the treemap component 1510 of the treemap displaypage 1500. The updated aggregate values are determined for each group ofeach depth level. This step may be omitted where multiple depth levelsare not displayed. Layout is performed by mapping the data values thatare not to be excluded to a fixed layout area. In this example, themagnitude of an area graphical attribute corresponds to a proportionratio. A proportion ratio is determined for each non-excluded datavalue. The proportion ratio represents the ratio of a magnitude of thedata value to a magnitude of all non-excluded data values within therange. Each data value of table 1200 except the data entry with ID 2 isrepresented as a cell in treemap component 1510. Thus, in oneembodiment, the area of each rectangle within a single group of thetreemap component 1510 is proportional to the magnitude of thecorresponding non-excluded data values in that group.

Although the preceding embodiments have been described using a treemapvisualization, the method of filtering as taught herein may beimplemented for other visualization techniques. In one embodiment,visualization techniques which map data values to ratios of areas, suchas pie graphs, are greatly affected by outliers which can consume aninordinate amount of the visible area, making secondary effectsparticularly difficult to appreciate. Filtering as taught herein mayserve as an effective tool for realizing those secondary effects.

FIG. 16 is an exemplary process flow diagram which illustrates onemethod of improving data visualization techniques by linking graphicalelements of the visualization. In one embodiment, graphical elements ofthe data visualization are linked to related information. Examples ofrelated information include information from other software systems ormethods, other data visualizations, or other processes not performed bythe current data visualization system. Graphical elements, such asgraphical cells in the data visualization serve as an entrance pointinto separate data spaces in a drill-to-related information approachwhere the selection of a cell then displays the related data space or areport in graphic, text, or other format. At step 1610, contentidentifiers associate data with information related to the data. In oneembodiment, the content identifier associates a data table of thedataset with related information. Universal resource locators (URLs) maybe used as content identifiers. Accordingly, a data table-URL pairing iscreated. During initialization of a treemap display page or formodification of the treemap display, a user or designer pairs a datatable name with a URL. The URL includes a generic substring that will bereplaced. In one embodiment, other data tables may be selected forexample through an application menu for changing the sourced dataset fora data visualization. In one embodiment, the content identifiers areautomatically generated.

At step 1620, a user-selected cell is determined for a drill action. Inone embodiment, an initial treemap configuration is generated. Thetreemap configuration may serve as a user interface which receives theuser selections of cells. A user may designate, using a cursor, atreemap cell upon which a drill action is to be performed. The user mayselect the designated cell by a mouse-click. The selected cell, whichrepresents one or more data entries of the data table, is thendetermined. Upon selection of the cell, a graphical user interface, suchas a menu, may be presented including an option to display relatedinformation, such as an option to drill. A user may specify the optionto drill by selecting the option in the menu. Other known methods ofdetermining a user-selected graphical element for a drill action mayalso be used.

At step 1630, a content identifier is generated using stringsubstitution. The selected cell is associated with one or more dataentries each of which are associated with a unique identifier. In oneembodiment, each row of the data table is a leaf node of the datavisualization. The first column of the data table is expected to be anindex. In another embodiment, a unique identifier may be determined foreach data entry by other methods. Once the drill action is specified bya user, the index value is used as a unique identifier for each dataentry or row. The URL paired to the data table name in step 1610includes the generic substring, which is then replaced by the identifierof the selected treemap cell node. For example, URLhttp://bug.cyclesinc.com?queryId=|TM_ID|&secondaryId=|TM_LABEL| may beassociated with a particular data table of the dataset. Other URLs maybe associated with other data tables of the dataset. The URL includes ageneric substring ‘|TM_ID|’ that will be replaced by the uniqueidentifier of the selected treemap cell node. Referring to data tablefragment 300 of FIG. 3, the first column is an index column. The datavalue 10011 under the index ID column for a data entry corresponding toa selected cell with order number ORD-272536, for example, replaces thegeneric substring |TM_ID| in the URL. In other words, the genericsubstring occurrences in the URL string are replaced with anotherstring, that is, the index identifier of the user-selected cell. In analternative embodiment, a URL including a ‘|TM_LABEL|’ in addition tothe identifier substring will be replaced by a label of the data entrycorresponding to the selected cell. The labels are determined by thecurrent values of the hierarchical categories.

For example, a user may select leaf element or leaf cell 550 of FIG. 5.A leaf cell is at the lowest displayed level of hierarchy, which intreemap 500 is of type ‘Item.’ The particular leaf cell 550 may map tothe last row in table 300. In one embodiment, the generic substring‘|TM_ID|’ may be replaced by the value in the ID column, ‘10023’, andthe generic substring ‘|TM_LABEL|’ may be replaced by the value in thecolumn that holds the values associated with Items, or ‘MRX013’. Inanother embodiment, if a user selected a non-leaf node cell, such as theTarget cell within the Fort Worth cell, the generic substring‘|TM_LABEL|’ might be replaced by a string to indicate the selectedgroup, such as ‘Fort Worth | Target’.

In another embodiment, a group element or group cell representing anaggregate value of a plurality of leaf nodes may be selected. In thiscase, a data table of aggregate values is created during aggregation.Aggregate values may be determined as described with regard to FIG. 2 orusing prior art aggregation methods. Each row of the aggregate datatable represents an aggregate value of a plurality of leaf nodes.Aggregate data tables may be determined for each level of hierarchy.Each aggregate value in the aggregate data table corresponds with aunique identifier. In one embodiment, the aggregate data table includesan index column which may be used as the unique identifier. The indexidentifier corresponding to the selected aggregate cell replaces thesubstring |TM_ID| in the URL. Likewise, the substring ‘|TM_LABEL|’ mayalso be replaced with the current values determined from thehierarchical table.

At step 1640, a request for the related information is sent. In oneembodiment, a standard web browser is used to request the web contentrelated with the generated content identifier URL. At step 1650, therequested information is received. For example, the web browser mayreceive the requested content. At step 1660, layout is performed. Thisstep may be bypassed if layout is not required. At step 1670, therequested information is rendered. Thus, the functions of drilling todetails of a cell or drilling through, for example, to a report, areenabled. Moreover, the drilling functions are enabled within a webenvironment across various applications in addition to the applicationschema associated with the data table and across various web servers.

Moreover, the methods as taught herein may be extended to various otherdata visualizations with user-selectable graphical elements, such as, apie graph or a bar graph. Code within the visualization component mayreplace the substrings in the content identifier with an ID and possiblya Label of a selected slice of a pie or a bar of a bar graph. A standardweb browser may then be used to request the web content associated withthe generated URL. In one embodiment, the content identifiers arespecified as applet parameters. Applet parameters may be implemented forthick clients. In another embodiment, content identifiers may also bespecified as JavaScript string literals using JavaScript Object Notation(JSON) or HTML attribute tags, which are stored in a web page's documentobject model (DOM). These are retrieved and processed by JavaScriptcode. String literals or attribute tags may be implemented for thinclients.

FIG. 17 shows an exemplary table. Bugs table 1700 may be a data tablethat has been selected as the source data for the data visualization.Bugs table 1700 includes the column names and data types of the columnnames for a Bugs data table (not shown), where each row of the Bugs datatable represents a programming bug, error, fault, mistake or failure. Inthis example, the Bugs table 1700 and Bugs data table are included in anAsset Management application.

FIG. 18 is a screen shot of an exemplary treemap component and userinterface for selecting a drilling option. In one embodiment, a treemapcomponent corresponding to the Bugs data table is generated. Treemapcomponent 1800 may represent a fragment of the generated treemap. Inthis example, cell 1810 is selected for a drilling action. A pre-report1820 may be generated to provide a menu of user-selectable options,including an option to “drill to report.” In one embodiment, the drillto report option, when selected, may initiate a function which isperformed beyond the data visualization component itself. In oneembodiment, the initiated functions are performed by otherweb-accessible processes, programs, or web services.

FIG. 19 is a screen shot of an exemplary treemap component and userinterface for providing a pre-report for a selected cell. In oneembodiment, a treemap component corresponding to the Bugs data table isgenerated. Treemap component 1900 may represent a fragment of thegenerated treemap. In this example, cell 1910 is selected for a drillingaction. A pre-report 1920 may be generated to provide details of theselected cell 1910. The detail information may be source from the Bugsdata table. Pre-report 1920 includes the name of the application,“ASSET_MGMT,” the number of total bug data entries represented by theselected cell, which is seven, and the total number of developersassociated with the bug data entries, which is also seven.

In one embodiment, a drill through function, such as the “drill toreport” function of FIG. 18, links a selected cell to relatedinformation, such as a report. In one embodiment, the treemap components1800 and 1900 are generated from a snapshot of the Bugs data table,whereas reports or other functions performed beyond the visualizationcomponent are generated from a current state of the sourced data tableor database if a data object spans multiple tables.

FIG. 20 is a block diagram illustrating components of an exemplaryoperating environment in which various embodiments of the presentinvention may be implemented. The system 2000 can include one or moreuser computers, computing devices, or processing devices 2012, 2014,2016, 2018, which can be used to operate a client, such as a dedicatedapplication, web browser, etc. The user computers 2012, 2014, 2016, 2018can be general purpose personal computers (including, merely by way ofexample, personal computers and/or laptop computers running variousversions of Microsoft Windows and/or Apple Macintosh operating systems),cell phones or PDAs (running software such as Microsoft Windows Mobileand being Internet, e-mail, SMS, Blackberry, or other communicationprotocol enabled), and/or workstation computers running any of a varietyof commercially-available UNIX or UNIX-like operating systems (includingwithout limitation, the variety of GNU/Linux operating systems). Theseuser computers 2012, 2014, 2016, 2018 may also have any of a variety ofapplications, including one or more development systems, database clientand/or server applications, and Web browser applications. Alternatively,the user computers 2012, 2014, 2016, 2018 may be any other electronicdevice, such as a thin-client computer, Internet-enabled gaming system,and/or personal messaging device, capable of communicating via a network(e.g., the network 2010 described below) and/or displaying andnavigating Web pages or other types of electronic documents. Althoughthe exemplary system 2000 is shown with four user computers, any numberof user computers may be supported.

In most embodiments, the system 2000 includes some type of network 2010.The network may can be any type of network familiar to those skilled inthe art that can support data communications using any of a variety ofcommercially-available protocols, including without limitation TCP/IP,SNA, IPX, AppleTalk, and the like. Merely by way of example, the network2010 can be a local area network (“LAN”), such as an Ethernet network, aToken-Ring network and/or the like; a wide-area network; a virtualnetwork, including without limitation a virtual private network (“VPN”);the Internet; an intranet; an extranet; a public switched telephonenetwork (“PSTN”); an infra-red network; a wireless network (e.g., anetwork operating under any of the IEEE 802.11 suite of protocols, theBluetooth protocol known in the art, and/or any other wirelessprotocol); and/or any combination of these and/or other networks.

The system may also include one or more server computers 2002, 2004,2006 which can be general purpose computers, specialized servercomputers (including, merely by way of example, PC servers, UNIXservers, mid-range servers, mainframe computers rack-mounted servers,etc.), server farms, server clusters, or any other appropriatearrangement and/or combination. One or more of the servers (e.g., 2006)may be dedicated to running applications, such as a businessapplication, a Web server, application server, etc. Such servers may beused to process requests from user computers 2012, 2014, 2016, 2018. Theapplications can also include any number of applications for controllingaccess to resources of the servers 2002, 2004, 2006.

The Web server can be running an operating system including any of thosediscussed above, as well as any commercially-available server operatingsystems. The Web server can also run any of a variety of serverapplications and/or mid-tier applications, including HTTP servers, FTPservers, CGI servers, database servers, Java servers, businessapplications, and the like. The server(s) also may be one or morecomputers which can be capable of executing programs or scripts inresponse to the user computers 2012, 2014, 2016, 2018. As one example, aserver may execute one or more Web applications. The Web application maybe implemented as one or more scripts or programs written in anyprogramming language, such as Java, C, C# or C++, and/or any scriptinglanguage, such as Perl, Python, or TCL, as well as combinations of anyprogramming/scripting languages. The server(s) may also include databaseservers, including without limitation those commercially available fromOracle, Microsoft, Sybase, IBM and the like, which can process requestsfrom database clients running on a user computer 2012, 2014, 2016, 2018.

The system 2000 may also include one or more databases 2020. Thedatabase(s) 2020 may reside in a variety of locations. By way ofexample, a database 2020 may reside on a storage medium local to (and/orresident in) one or more of the computers 2002, 2004, 2006, 2012, 2014,2016, 2018. Alternatively, it may be remote from any or all of thecomputers 2002, 2004, 2006, 2012, 2014, 2016, 2018, and/or incommunication (e.g., via the network 2010) with one or more of these. Ina particular set of embodiments, the database 2020 may reside in astorage-area network (“SAN”) familiar to those skilled in the art.Similarly, any necessary files for performing the functions attributedto the computers 2002, 2004, 2006, 2012, 2014, 2016, 2018 may be storedlocally on the respective computer and/or remotely, as appropriate. Inone set of embodiments, the database 2020 may be a relational database,such as Oracle 10g, that is adapted to store, update, and retrieve datain response to SQL-formatted commands.

FIG. 21 illustrates an exemplary computer system 2100, in which variousembodiments of the present invention may be implemented. The system 2100may be used to implement any of the computer systems described above.The computer system 2100 is shown comprising hardware elements that maybe electrically coupled via a bus 2124. The hardware elements mayinclude one or more central processing units (CPUs) 2102, one or moreinput devices 2104 (e.g., a mouse, a keyboard, etc.), and one or moreoutput devices 2106 (e.g., a display device, a printer, etc.). Thecomputer system 2100 may also include one or more storage devices 2108.By way of example, the storage device(s) 2108 can include devices suchas disk drives, optical storage devices, solid-state storage device suchas a random access memory (“RAM”) and/or a read-only memory (“ROM”),which can be programmable, flash-updateable and/or the like.

The computer system 2100 may additionally include a computer-readablestorage media reader 2112, a communications system 2114 (e.g., a modem,a network card (wireless or wired), an infra-red communication device,etc.), and working memory 2118, which may include RAM and ROM devices asdescribed above. In some embodiments, the computer system 2100 may alsoinclude a processing acceleration unit 2116, which can include a digitalsignal processor DSP, a special-purpose processor, and/or the like.

The computer-readable storage media reader 2112 can further be connectedto a computer-readable storage medium 2110, together (and, optionally,in combination with storage device(s) 2108) comprehensively representingremote, local, fixed, and/or removable storage devices plus storagemedia for temporarily and/or more permanently containingcomputer-readable information. The communications system 2114 may permitdata to be exchanged with the network and/or any other computerdescribed above with respect to the system 2100.

The computer system 2100 may also comprise software elements, shown asbeing currently located within a working memory 2118, including anoperating system 2120 and/or other code 2122, such as an applicationprogram (which may be a client application, Web browser, mid-tierapplication, RDBMS, etc.). It should be appreciated that alternateembodiments of a computer system 2100 may have numerous variations fromthat described above. For example, customized hardware might also beused and/or particular elements might be implemented in hardware,software (including portable software, such as applets), or both.Further, connection to other computing devices such as networkinput/output devices may be employed.

Storage media and computer readable media for containing code, orportions of code, can include any appropriate media known or used in theart, including storage media and communication media, such as but notlimited to volatile and non-volatile, removable and non-removable mediaimplemented in any method or technology for storage and/or transmissionof information such as computer readable instructions, data structures,program modules, or other data, including RAM, ROM, EEPROM, flash memoryor other memory technology, CD-ROM, digital versatile disk (DVD) orother optical storage, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape, magnetic diskstorage or other magnetic storage devices, data signals, datatransmissions, or any other medium which can be used to store ortransmit the desired information and which can be accessed by thecomputer. Based on the disclosure and teachings provided herein, aperson of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate other ways and/ormethods to implement the various embodiments.

Although the present invention has been described in detail withregarding the exemplary embodiments and drawings thereof, it should beapparent to those skilled in the art that various adaptations andmodifications of the present invention may be accomplished withoutdeparting from the spirit and the scope of the invention. Thus, by wayof example and not of limitation, the present invention is discussedwith regard to treemap components as illustrated by the figures.However, the methods may be implemented for various data visualizations,both hierarchical and non-hierarchical in nature, unless specifiedotherwise. Accordingly, the invention is not limited to the preciseembodiment shown in the drawings and described in detail herein above.The scope of the invention should, therefore, be determined not withreference to the above description, but instead should be determinedwith reference to the pending claims along with their full scope orequivalents.

1. A method for representing data values of a dataset as a plurality ofgraphical elements in a data visualization, the method comprising:linking a data table of the dataset with web-accessible informationusing a first content identifier, the first content identifier includinga first substring; generating the data visualization for the datasetbased on a first configuration; receiving through a first user interfacea selection of a graphical element of the plurality of graphicalelements in the data visualization; substituting the first substringwith an identifier of the selected graphical element to generate asecond content identifier; and rendering the requested web-accessibleinformation based on the second content identifier.
 2. The method ofclaim 1, further comprising: after receiving the selection of thegraphical element, providing a menu user interface to enable selectionof an option to drill to the web-accessible information.
 3. The methodof claim 1, further comprising: if the selected graphical elementrepresents a leaf element, substituting the first substring with aunique identifier of the selected graphical element.
 4. The method ofclaim 1, further comprising: if the selected graphical element is agroup element, substituting the first substring with a unique identifierof the selected graphical element, the unique identifier comprisedwithin the data table, wherein the data table represents a hierarchicaldepth level of a plurality of hierarchical depth levels, the data tableincluding data entries of aggregate values of the hierarchical depthlevel.
 5. The method of claim 4, wherein the aggregate values aredetermined from at least one of a plurality of aggregate functions. 6.The method of claim 1, wherein the first content identifier furthercomprises a second substring, the method further comprising:substituting the second substring with a label of the selected graphicalelement to generate the second content identifier.
 7. The method ofclaim 1, further comprising: before rendering, sending a request for thelinked web-accessible information using the second content identifier;and receiving the requested web-accessible information.
 8. The method ofclaim 1, wherein the first content identifier is a first URL and thesecond content identifier is a second URL.
 9. The method of claim 1,wherein the second content identifier is a parameter to an applet. 10.The method of claim 1, wherein each data table of the dataset is linkedwith web-accessible information using a URL.
 11. A computer programproduct stored on a computer-readable medium for representing datavalues of a dataset as a plurality of graphical elements in a datavisualization, the computer program product comprising: code for linkinga data table of the dataset with web-accessible information using afirst content identifier, the first content identifier including a firstsubstring; code for generating the data visualization for the datasetbased on a first configuration; code for receiving through a first userinterface a selection of a graphical element of the plurality ofgraphical elements in the data visualization; code for substituting thefirst substring with an identifier of the selected graphical element togenerate a second content identifier; and code for rendering therequested web-accessible information based on the second contentidentifier.
 12. The computer program product according to claim 11,further comprising: after receiving the selection of the graphicalelement, code for providing a menu user interface to enable selection ofan option to drill to the web-accessible information.
 13. The computerprogram product according to claim 11, further comprising: if theselected graphical element is a leaf element, code for substituting thefirst substring with a unique identifier of the selected graphicalelement.
 14. The computer program product according to claim 11, furthercomprising: if the selected graphical element is a group element, codefor substituting the first substring with a unique identifier of theselected graphical element, the unique identifier comprised within thedata table, wherein the data table represents a hierarchical depth levelof a plurality of hierarchical depth levels, the data table includingdata entries of aggregate values of the hierarchical depth level. 15.The computer program product according to claim 14, wherein theaggregate values are determined from at least one of a plurality ofaggregate functions.
 16. A system for representing data values of adataset as a plurality of graphical elements in a data visualization,the system comprising: a processor; and a memory coupled to theprocessor, the memory configured to store a plurality of code moduleswhich when executed by the processor cause the processor to: link a datatable of the dataset with web-accessible information using a firstcontent identifier, the first content identifier including a firstsubstring; generate the data visualization for the dataset based on afirst configuration; receive through a first user interface a selectionof a graphical element of the plurality of graphical elements in thedata visualization; substitute the first substring with an identifier ofthe selected graphical element to generate a second content identifier;and render the requested web-accessible information based on the secondcontent identifier.
 17. The system of claim 16, further comprisingadditional code modules which when executed by the processor cause theprocessor to: after receiving the selection of the graphical element,provide a menu user interface to enable selection of an option to drillto the web-accessible information.
 18. The system of claim 16, furthercomprising additional code modules which when executed by the processorcause the processor to: if the selected graphical element is a leafelement, substitute the first substring with a unique identifier of theselected graphical element.
 19. The system of claim 16, furthercomprising additional code modules which when executed by the processorcause the processor to: if the selected graphical element is a groupelement, substitute the first substring with a unique identifier of theselected graphical element, the unique identifier comprised within thedata table, wherein the data table represents a hierarchical depth levelof a plurality of hierarchical depth levels, the data table includingdata entries of aggregate values of the hierarchical depth level. 20.The system of claim 16, wherein the aggregate values are determined fromat least one of a plurality of aggregate functions.